Belle returned to her given chamber with great reluctance after what they did on the balcony.
Rohan had walked her to the door of the chamber and then held her in his embrace for some moment. After dropping a lingering kiss on her mouth, he watched her get into the room. When the door began to close slowly, Belle smiled at him, which he return with a small pull of his lips to the side, and watched her until the door closed completely.
Inside the chamber, Belle felt her heart ache. She hated these separate arrangements, but since it was a custom everyone had to follow—as it had been held for ages—she told herself to bear with it.
It was only for a few days, and then they would go back home and have all the time in the world again. Because once they were back home, she planned to pay attention to him until he got over the heavy exhaustion she saw in his eyes, like someone who had not slept for many days.
